I Want To See You Again
by sheaflower98
Summary: Here we see a late night visit between Kion, leader of the Lion Guard, and Janja, leader of the hyenas. It's an unlikely thought that these two would ever meet in peace, but this sort of meeting isn't their first... / A Kion/Janja aka Spotted Lion oneshot /


 **So. Yeah. I ship Kion and Janja. But let's be real, it was bound to happen. Someone was gonna ship them eventually. Can we all just be happy that the first person to ship it was someone who actually has experience with crazy ships of this sort?**

 **Also, if you want to read a work for this ship that I'm more happy about, check out my ArchiveOfOurOwn fanfic, 'The Butterfly Effect'. I'm very proud of it, but I don't know that I'll move it here just because it'll be a hassle to put chapter after chapter on here. My username on there is Crazy_Pairing_Girl.**

 **I do not own The Lion Guard.**

It wasn't like he often visited the Outlands to begin with, but somehow it always looked different when it was for the reason Kion was there tonight. It still seemed ominous and scary, but in a different way. Like the rocks and pillars and dead trees somehow knew why he was there tonight, like they were silently judging him.

He visited for this reason all the time, though. He never could shake the eerie feeling of being watched though. He shuddered as he felt a chill run down his back. Kion broke into a run when he saw Janja's cave come into view.

As he entered, he was greeted with a few hyenas glancing his way, but they went back to whatever they had been doing. Cheezi enthusiastically came over to him, a crazy grin on his face.

"You're here to see Janja?"

"Yeah, like always," Kion replied, feeling relaxed already. It was always nice when he could talk to the hyenas on a friendly level. They didn't expect him to be perfect, as his friends and family often did.

"He's right over this way," Cheezi said happily, leading Kion off in the direction he specified. Kion followed easily, nodding in greeting to the other hyenas as he passed. Cheezi led him to a small, isolated corner of the cave, where Janja sat waiting for Kion. Janja smirked.

"Your bird must've been slow. I only just heard from Mzingo that you were coming," Janja said in a light, playful tone. Cheezi had almost immediately left them to their discussion, but Kion made a note to talk to him and the others before leaving.

"Ono's been tired lately," Kion said, seeming a bit regretful. Ono was the only one of his friends who knew about his little excursions, and he had been asking Ono to pass messages along for him. He should probably let him rest tomorrow.

"I'll let the boys know that we're not going to the Pridelands tomorrow," Janja said, reading Kion's expression. Kion gave him a grateful look.

Their conversation soon lapsed into recent events that had happened with each other. Although they both spoke of their own lives, Janja seemed to be perfectly content to let Kion ramble aimlessly. He put in his own comments into Kion's stories here and there, but for the most part he just listened intently.

At some point, Kion stopped talking. Janja looked at him worriedly, but didn't prompt him to speak. He just waited until Kion was comfortable talking, so he could find out what was wrong.

"Janja, would it be bad if I wanted to live here, in the Outlands?"

That stunned Janja a bit more than it should have. He had seen Kion trying to stretch out their visits, and it would certainly explain why he'd been sending so many messages, attributing to Ono being so tired. But he couldn't really want to stay here, Janja thought.

"It wouldn't be _bad_. But I don't think it'd be good, either," Janja said, looking concerned for the lion in front of him. That answer evidently disappointed Kion, and he looked away. Janja sighed softly.

"Come with me, cub," Janja said, using the affectionate nickname he'd given to Kion. Kion stood and followed Janja out of the cave. Janja led him to a high point in the Outlands, a spot where one could easily see the Pridelands.

"Look, Kion. That, over there, is where you belong. That's where your family and friends are," Janja explained. Kion just stared blankly before turning to the hyena next to him.

"But that's not where _you_ are," he insisted.

Janja sighed. Normally he couldn't say no to Kion when he came for a visit. But, as much as he hated to do so, he had to draw the line on this.

"Kion, I would love nothing more than for you to stay here. But you _can't_."

There was a tense silence between them, and Janja didn't like it. Kion was upset, and though he was normally used to it, he didn't like Kion being upset with him in this setting. He wanted to take back what he said, but he wouldn't let himself. Kion would be happier if he stayed in the Pridelands - Heck, he'd probably be even happier if he didn't keep coming to visit the hyenas!

"Tell me you love me."

Janja blinked.

"What?"

"You have never said the words, you never say that you love me when I go home. I always tell you when I leave but you never say it back."

Janja didn't know how to reply. Kion stared at him, gaze hardened.

"If you don't say you love me, and I leave, I'm never coming back. Say you love me, right now, and I'll keep seeing you, I'll keep taking that risk."

There was a reason he never said it back to Kion. Janja knew that if he said those three simple words, he would get too attached and wouldn't be able to let go. He couldn't afford that, he knew that some day they would get caught and Janja couldn't afford the heartbreak he'd surely get when Kion was ripped away from him.

But he couldn't let Kion leave without knowing how Janja truly felt.

"I love you, Kion. Of course I love you."

Kion smiled, a sudden wave of relief and happiness flooding him.

"I love you too."

Kion glanced out in the direction of the Pridelands, his home, before looking back to Janja.

"I should get back," he said, his tone sad. Janja gave him a small smile.

"See you later, then."

Kion gave Janja a smile before he turned and headed off the trail. Janja sat there for a few minutes, staring out to the Pridelands for a few minutes before heading back to his own home.


End file.
